...But It's Not You!

Have you ever been driving in the car and you see someone dressed a certain way or looking a certain way?  You think to yourself, "Why would they come out here looking like that?"  Or maybe you know someone who is down on their luck and it seems all the good and kind encouraging words that you give never seem to help.  Then you wonder, to yourself, "If that were me, I'd.......".  Well you fill in the rest of sentence with whatever you like, but my point is that it is not you!

We all do many things differently and one of those things is experience life.  We all hit high points and low points at different times of our lives so we must not look on one another as if you could do it better.  Some times, you have no idea what a person might be experiencing and the way they are carrying themselves, despite any encouragement, may be the best way they can get through their storm.  It's their way of coping and dealing.

You see, when the house is on fire and someone else is trapped inside, you may be thinking to yourself, "I hope they come out...why aren't they coming out?!!"  You can say that because you can see the doors and the windows...from the outside......BUT, when you are the person trapped inside the inferno, the only thing that you can see is flames.  Yes you are trying to get out but you have to get through the fire.  Your heart may be racing and the adrenaline may be pumping but if you stay focused and calm long enough you can escape the fire.  This is exactly how life can be sometimes.  There is always some in the fire and there are others who are on the outside looking into the situation.  The perspective is always clear when it isn't skewed by being in the middle of a life crisis. 

Let us remember that we THINK we know what we might do, but since it's not us, let's not judge a person for what they do.  Until you walk a mile in their shoes....well, I think you know the rest.

"Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. " - Luke 6:37

Regards,

Antoine E. Hall

Blog:      http://toinebo.blogspot.com
Twitter:     http://www.twitter.com/AntoineHall

"It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect." - 2 Samuel 22:33

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Could You Handle Spit On Your Face?

Last week, I shared an article from CNN with my wife and it talked about a lady who had the tip of her pinky finger to regenerate after being cut off from a door accident.  We were talking about how cool that was because the lady had gone through new science and technology involving tissue regeneration.  Being the silly person that I am, I said ".....[now] they can dip yo stuff in some spit and it grows back...Jesus was on to something with that spit and mud stuff..".   We were cracking up talking but I started thinking a little more.  Just what in the world are you talking about Antoine?  Well, let's go to some Word!  John 9:1-11 says:

(1) As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. (2) His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" (3) "Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. (4) As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. (5) While I am in the world, I am the light of the world."  (6) Having said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man's eyes.  (7) "Go," he told him, "wash in the Pool of Siloam" (this word means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.  (8) His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, "Isn't this the same man who used to sit and beg?" (9) Some claimed that he was. Others said, "No, he only looks like him."  But he himself insisted, "I am the man." (10) "How then were your eyes opened?" they demanded.  (11) He replied, "The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see."

Now, you see what I am talking about? (Just a side bar, Jesus also used spit some other times to heal.  See Mark 8:22-25 and Mark 7:31-35).  Jesus spit into some mud, rubbed it together, and rubbed it onto a blind man's face then told him to wash his face.  After that, the blind man could see!  Wait a minute here.  WHAT??!!   OK, OK, let me entertain you for a little bit and I will imagine that I was a disciple with Jesus along with some of my friends (or you can imagine you were a discipline).  This is how I think the story would have went:

Jesus, here is a man who had been blind since birth.  Now who sinned?  Him or his Mom & Pops?  "Nobody sinned, but He is blind so that he can see the miracle of God at work in his life.  Look it's gonna be dark soon and I still have my Father's business to handle, so let's get to work before night fall.  While I am in the world, I am the light of the world".  After Jesus spoke he hocked a loogie (spit) on the ground and made mud.  The disciples face frowned all up like that was so nasty that Jesus was playing with spit.  Not only did Jesus play with mud, He then plastered it onto the blind man's eyes and told him to got wash his face....

Alright, I will stop right here.  I know I am using the imagination here, but can you imagine how contorted the disciple's faces were when He spit on the ground to make mud.  THEN, he put that nasty mess onto the blind man's eyes.  Oh my goodness.  That is nasty and not healthy hygiene at all!

I only imagined what the other people felt, but what about the poor blind guy?  He's the one that had mud made with spit rubbed onto his eyes.  It said the man was blind, but it did not say he was deaf.  This means the man probably heard Jesus making mud pies out of spit!  I do not know what was going through the blind man's mind, but whatever it was, showed a measure of the highest levels of faith!

See, that man saw past all the social norms of how "unhygienic" it was or how nasty that stuff would feel on his face.  What he showed was faith to believe in Jesus no matter what he was told to do.  The blind man did not say, "you want me to do what??!!".  It did not say that, even though most of us would probably say it even if Jesus (himself) asked us to follow the same steps.  I have a question for you though.   How much do you really believe in Jesus.  How far are you really willing to go in obeying Him who saved you?  Are you ready to follow His every commandment or are you happy with visiting church every Sunday just to feel good?

Obedience, despite the outlook is what gave this man sight.  He obeyed.....he believed....he received.  Could you do the same?

Regards,

Antoine E. Hall

Blog:      http://toinebo.blogspot.com
Twitter:     http://www.twitter.com/AntoineHall

"It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect." - 2 Samuel 22:33

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What If......

What if grass was blue?
What if the sky was green?
What if we drove cars backwards?
What if happy really meant being mean?

What if people could fly?
What if dogs could talk?
What if college was high school?
What if crippled people could walk?

What if I we lived on Mars?
What if I didn't get up today?
What if bubble gum tasted like chocolate?
What if you really couldn't hear a see and say?

What if I lost my job tomorrow?
What if the food ran out in the house?
What if I had no money to borrow?
What if you lost your spouse?

What If, What If, What If.  We are so bogged down by the "What If's" of life that we get stuck wondering what if this or that happened?  Nine times out of ten, the "what if" will never happen and life will go on as schedule.  Stop wondering about "what if" or you will never move out of your current situation.

What If I didn't write that poem.....?  Well, I did and you should stop worry about things that probably and most likely will never happen.  Be bold in all that you do and never fear what you conjure up could happen.

Be blessed folks!

Regards,

Antoine E. Hall

Blog:      http://toinebo.blogspot.com
Twitter:     http://www.twitter.com/AntoineHall

"It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect." - 2 Samuel 22:33

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It's Not For Now, It' Later

Hello Hello Family,

I hope that you all had a good holiday weekend.  Over this weekend (specifically) yesterday, I got into the most interesting discussion/debate with our 5 year old daughter, Zion.  I know, I know why am I in a debate with a 5 year?  Well you'd have to meet our daughter because she is really intellectual for her age.

She has just started Kindergarten (K5) and the school she is in has a rigorous curriculum.  It is a Christian Academy and it requires a lot of reading and whenever she reads a book, we mark it down what she read on a piece of paper.  Yesterday, she picked up a book and started reading it (to which it has words in it that I probably couldn't pronounce until I was in the 2nd or 3rd grade LOL), but she was getting frustrated.  She hit a word that she had trouble saying, then she closed the book and said (paraphrasing), "Daddy, see I can't do because it's too hard.  That's why I don't like school."

Me being the smart person that I am, I told her that it's alright that it is hard and that is how we learn.  If we do not do some things harder than what we've always done, we will not learn.  She said everything and debated me about how she didn't like school any more.  I used the tactic of explaining how I don't like going to work but I do because she has to eat, have cloths, have lights turned on to read, heat to stay warm, yada yada...I was pulling the "look what I do just so you can have but I don't always want to get up and go to work either" card.  The more we talked the more she stood her ground about not liking school and she wasn't going back.  Finally, I just told her, my job is to go to work and hers is to go to school.  She was going to school Tuesday morning whether she liked it or not! 

By this time, my wife Deidra walked into the room, seeing her with her face on her chin and her eyes welling, asked what was wrong.  Zion explained how she didn't like school because it was hard.  What I couldn't do in about 10-15 minutes, my wife completely reversed by pulling the "God Card" LOL.  See Zion is quite in tune with God and understands about God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.  In about 5 minutes, my wife explained to her, that without a vision people will perish and that God made us to learn. I don't recall all the scriptures, but Deidra had the girl looking at the scriptures and the next thing I know she was reading the book!

Amazing isn't it?!  That's why I love that sticky tape of mines (that's my wife by the way). The one example that my wife gave in explaining the reason to learn was that say, she didn't know what 3+5 equaled and she saw a sign that had it on it.  In the example 3+5 on the sign could mean to stop crossing the street so she wouldn't get hit by a car.  If she didn't know the answer she could walk out in the street and get hit but if she did she could stop and the car could zoom by making her safe (Sorry hun if I don't have it all the way verbatim).

Now, let's think about our lives as adults for a moment. Right now, you may be working at a job where you find yourself doing some things that was not in the original job description.  We are quick to pull that card....."wait a minute, that is not in my job description!"  What we fail to realize is what we are forced to do or disliked doing may have future use in another part of our life.  It may be the very thing that makes you feel used and abused is the very thing you need to stretch you and "grow you up" in area of your life.

The thing that kids do not realize is that all the hard work and things they learn now, will be relevant in the future and necessary to carry on in life.  For that matter, a lot of us as adults have tasks, take classes, care for pets, etc. in a manner that makes no sense for us.  We complain just like Zion by asking "Why do we have to do this?"  We feel that we could be doing other things besides what we are doing now, but little do we know it is for a reason.  "There is a time for everything,and a season for every activity under heaven" (Ecclesiastes 3:1).  You may see the reason or make sense out of what you are doing (or where you may be in life) right now but know that it is for a reason. 

Also, it could be that you have received a vision or revelation, but right now it doesn't seem to come to pass. Maybe it is not for now, but God has just prepared your brain so that when it becomes the right season, you will know how to handle it (see Habakkuk 2:3).  Always know that God is in control and knows what He is doing.  It is our job to trust in Him that our "later" has already been taken care of "now". We just need to leave the now and walk in readiness for the later parts of our lives.

Be easy folks and have a good one.

Regards,

Antoine E. Hall

Blog:      http://toinebo.blogspot.com
Twitter:     http://www.twitter.com/AntoineHall

"It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect." - 2 Samuel 22:33

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Riding a Roller Coaster With Man

I read an article on CNN.com this morning that was entitled:  "Dems get more bad news in Gallup poll".  It goes on to talk about how the Democrats are trailing the Republicans in key areas of a recent poll.  Then it later says "...Americans think Republicans in Congress will do a better job than Democrats in handling seven out of nine key issues"¹.  Errrrrrrrrr!  Now wait a minute!  If I can recall back during the elections of 2009, Americans thought that Democrats were better suited in Congress to handle key issues.  After all that is the reason why the Democrats now control both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

What I have come to learn is that people can be fickle.  One minute they are with you and the next minute they are against you (depending on what day of the week it is). I understand that the economy has been going through a slump but guess what?  This is not the first time in American history, nor will it be the last.  Guess what again?  This is not the first time that the American public has thought one political party was better at doing things than the other.  What we get is this roller coaster ride of going up and down and back and forth with no real satisfaction for any one.  The moment we see someone not doing what we think they should be doing, we replace them with someone else who is just as incapable of making us happy.

The issue lies within us.  You "[d]o not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save" (Psalm 146:3).  No one man can really save you or fix your problems no matter how many promises they shell out.  After all, "[w]hen their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing" (Psalm 146:4).  At that point where do you turn?  Do you rely on yourself to fix it?  Well that goes back to my original point.  You are but a man, so you have your limitations.  Granted, the Lord can work through those individuals who allow Him, but in this day in time, where can you find a politician who is not out for political gain for himself rather than to see the goodness of God work through him or her?

So, when you have no where else to turn, guess who is looking you in the face waiting for you to reach out to Him?  Jesus Christ.  You might be saying "Yeah, yeah, yeah Antoine that sounds like a great story and I knew you'd pull the God card on me, but of course you'd say that because you believe in a God".  Yes, partially true.  I believe in THE one true God, not just A God.  I'll put it this way.  Until you try and/or taste the goodness of God for yourself, you can never refute my point with hard evidence (see Psalm 34:8). 

I was reading one user's comment on another article on CNN one day and by his message I got the impression that he did not believe in God.  What he said did made me laugh and at the same time it made me smile for another reason.  Basically, he said that with the decline of America's GDP (Gross Domestic Product) over the past years even with both parties controlling the Congress at some point in time, there seemed like no hope - giving God a chance might not be a bad idea because he couldn't do any worst.  I laughed at those comments and even had to share them with my wife because it was too funny.  At the same time I smiled with joy because I saw an opportunity.  I saw someone who seemed to have a willing heart to try the goodness of the Lord and that, my friends, is all He need - for you to give Him a chance.

In the end I would like to ask you, would you rather let your emotions volley back and forth with man or would you rather ride securely on a straight path with the one who can really save you?

1.  Mooney, Alexander & Steinhauser, Paul.  CNN.com. "Dems get more bad news in Gallup poll".   September 1, 2010.

Regards,

Antoine E. Hall

Blog:      http://toinebo.blogspot.com
Twitter:     http://www.twitter.com/AntoineHall

"It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect." - 2 Samuel 22:33

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Keep Your Filters Clean

Hey Hey! Happy Friday to you all!

Today, I just wanted to pretend to be your cyber HVAC service guy.  In your home, they tell you to change your filters every 30 days in order to keep the unit functioning properly.  The filter catches all the dirt and debris from passing through your heating/cooling ducts back out into your air, thereby keeping the air clean in the home.  When they become dirty, the performance of your unit goes down and some dirt is even allowed to go through, simply because the filter is starting to fail.

Have you ever changed one of those things?  To look at one can be hideous because you start to think you are living dirty, but the reality is that there is micro dirt and lint in the air that we do not see.  It is just that by the time you change the filter, it has attracted millions of particles, allowing you to see it in the form of dirt.

Like the filter in your HVAC, you and I have an internal filter.  We can see some things and hear some things that does not need to penetrate our minds because like the vents in our homes, we want our spiritual walk to remain clean.  You do not even realize it, but the things you see on TV are like the millions of particles that we don't see that try to penetrate our filter.  For example, you can start watching some show that seemed harmless at first, the longer you watched it, the more they start to slip a curse word in here and a sex scene in there.  Pretty soon, you're watching a bunch of potty mouths acting in a bunch of provocative scenes where you could have to cover your children's eyes and ears! 

By the time you reach this point, your internal filter is dirty and need to be changed.  You keep your internal filter clean by staying in the Word of God and the continual thirst for the gain of knowledge in Him.  Ask the Holy Spirit for discernment and He will keep you clean regularly.  The more we know, the more we learn what is fitting and acceptable in the eyes of God.  Whatever is grotesque to Him should give us the same feelings as well and you cannot do this unless you are continually learning more about our Lord.

Be diligent and always on guard.  In a time where dirt seems to be free and in abundance, it is going to take work along with time, effort (and maybe money), to keep clean.

Be easy folks and have a great weekend.

Regards,

Antoine E. Hall

Blog:      http://toinebo.blogspot.com
Twitter:     http://www.twitter.com/AntoineHall

"It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect." - 2 Samuel 22:33

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You Are Already Here

Today, I wish to lift your spirits with Brian Courtney Wilson's, "Already Here".  It is a beautiful song and I hope that it blesses you.

Regards,

Antoine E. Hall

Blog:      http://toinebo.blogspot.com
Twitter:     http://www.twitter.com/AntoineHall

"It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect." - 2 Samuel 22:33

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The Anatomy of a Blessing (Replay)

Good Morning Family.  I hope you all are have a good day so far.  Today, is a replay from back in November of 2006.  Every now and then, I think we need to be reminded that there is work that we must do and that we cannot always sit back and wait on God to fix it.  Sometimes, He provides us with the parts to solve our issues.  We just have to be diligent enough to put the parts together to make a whole.  A blessing is a blessing no matter how it comes and we need to be ready to recognize it when it gets here.

-------------- snip ---------------
November 30, 2006

Hello Fam.

Sorry for getting WFTD out so late.  Without further adieu, let's hop to it.  Through out the days of our lives we tend to toss around phrases like "Lord bless me with...", "Be blessed", "Pour me out a blessing", "Bless you", etc.  It almost seems nowadays that we toss around the word just as loosely as the word Love is tossed around (which is an entirely different discussion in itself).

However, have you ever really sat down and thought about what a blessing is, what it can be, and how much of a roll you play in the midst of it?  Let's lay some ground work first:

blessing (noun):  "A blessing is a gift of God's favor, or a prayer that asks for God's protection and care."

In the 6th Chapter of the book of Numbers, the Lord speaks to Moses and gives him instructions to pass on to Aaron so that he will know how to bless the Israelites:

"(22) And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, (23) Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying, On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel, saying unto them, (24) The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: (25) The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: (26) The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. (27) And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them."

What this did was put the Lord first in the Israelites face and made them realize that He was their everything and not man, graven images, or small gods (with a little "g").  So to set the blessing up, you must first put God the front of your life and stay positioned towards him.  Remember when Peter walked on water briefly, but took his eye off Jesus and he began to sank?  Same idea here.  God is at the forefront.

Now that's established let's take the blessing itself.  I would like break down blessings into two categories (by all means I do not claim these to be finite categories and I'm sure there are other ways of looking at it, but this is how the Holy Spirit has given it to me.  Maybe you can expand on what has been provided in your study):

1. It's a blessing for you, so that you may be a blessing to someone else (batteries included version)
   
2. Blessing you with opportunity (The Blessing Kit - some assembly required)
   

See, in the first instance, God blesses you with what you need and gives you an abundance or how we like to say "more blessings than we can handle".  In a situation like this, God knows how much to give and to whom to give it too.  If you are a greedy person, God can't bless you with overabundance because you are thinking about self (which you can't do anyway if you follow Christ - we are to deny self).  But, when you are abundantly blessed, you can then use your blessings to bless someone else.

Then you have the second instance which is one of opportunity.  Not all the time will God give you a turn-key blessing.  Example:  If I am taking a class and I'm struggling, God can bless me with a tutor who knows how to address all the areas I need help in.  However, the tutor is not going to do the work for me because ultimately I'm the one who has to learn the information and take the test.  No one can walk in your shoes better than you can.  What people fail to realize is that the blessing of opportunity can lead to the overabundance which means you have to bless someone else.  So you can look at this as your Blessing Kit.  You have to put in a little extra work to see it through.

So, that's the anatomy of a blessing.  It's pretty simple and probably not the complete breakdown but something to think about.  It's great when God moves and places all the desires of your heart in front of you.  But don't be discouraged, by having to put in a little extra effort to be blessed.  Remember there is no testimony without a test and if God brought you to it, he'll bring you through it.

With that said, have a Blessed Day! :-) -------------- snip ---------------


Regards,

Antoine E. Hall

Blog:      http://toinebo.blogspot.com
Twitter:     http://www.twitter.com/AntoineHall

"It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect." - 2 Samuel 22:33

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Being a Perfectionist in an Imperfect World

At some point in time, we all clamor for the perfect day.  A day where you get out of bed, and the birds are chirping, you are well rested, and the weather is perfect.  Everyone treats you the way you want to be treated.  You get everything done the way you want, down to your every minute detailed.  You check off your list one by one as you complete every task and by the end of the day you have made it home to sit back in your recliner. You smile because everything went according to plan and you can cap off the day with a wonderful night of sleep because after all, you just enjoyed the perfect day.

The reality is that after you wake up, you realize that the previous day really did not exist and it was all but a dream.  Welcome to the world of a perfectionist where everything is scrutinized and has a place in a perfect order.  A perfectionist is someone who "[a] propensity for being displeased with anything that is not perfect  or does not meet extremely high standards".  The root word "perfect" means to be "correct or precise" or "excellent in all respects".

The issue with a person of this nature is that they are trying to be perfect in a world of imperfect people.  Antoine, what do I mean by this?  Look at it like this.  If we were all perfect, no one would have flaws, we'd create flawless situations, the world would be an utopia, and I would not be writing this blog entry.  The reality is that it is not a perfect world.  When we try to perfect things on our own accord, things are fine until something goes wrong (which is almost always going to happen).  We put the enormous amounts of pressure on ourselves to make everything just right, but we are incapable of doing this. 

This is where the Lord wants us to be....at a place where we recognize our ways are not perfect and we cannot do it without Him.  I realized this a while ago and I started using 2 Samuel 22:33 as a tag at the bottom of every email that I send.   I like for things to have order.  I like for details to go according to plan, but doing it without the aide of the Holy Spirit is a futile attempt.  "It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect" (see 2 Samuel 22:33).  It is not Me who builds me up with strength so that I can make my way perfect.  Every now and again, I have to remind myself of this and you should too.   As we strive towards perfection in Jesus Christ, the more we have to lean on Him for guidance and direction on our journey of life.

In your strive towards perfection, do not let what you CANNOT do bring you down, but let what your Father in Heaven CAN do lift you up! Be blessed folks and have a good one!

Regards,

Antoine E. Hall

Blog:      http://toinebo.blogspot.com
Twitter:     http://www.twitter.com/AntoineHall

"It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect." - 2 Samuel 22:33

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Don't Let A Bad Experience Ruin A Future Good One

Happy Monday Folks,

Last week, I talked about learning something from every experience.  I think that still applies, but at the same time we have to learn to not let bad experiences ruin future ones for us.  I suppose you wonder what I mean by this, so let me explain.

Have you ever had a bad experience (that you thought was over and done), then while on a new experience some things seem a little similar to the bad experience?  I have and immediately I get that "Oh no, here we go again" feeling.  This is not a bad reaction to have because we always want to avoid repeating past mistakes or paths that could lead to destruction.  At the same, time we have to realize that not all things that seem bad are really what they appear. 

For example, when I was a kid, my Momma made a blueberry pie and I LOVED blueberry pie.  The problem was that I ate TOO MUCH blueberry pie and I got sick (I couldn't help it.  My Momma made a mean blueberry pie!).  For a few years, I did not eat blueberry pie because in my mind the blueberry pie made me sick.  What I failed to realize was that TOO MUCH of that particular blueberry pie made me sick and not all of the subsequent blueberry pies that were made.  I was hesitant at first, but after a while I came around and started eating it again.  I just had to be willing to give my new experience a chance.

In some ways, some events that happened in our past taints our new perspective and causes some resentment towards people, places and/or things that have never done anything to us.  You know, in a way, it is like having a grudge.  Leviticus 19:18 says, "Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD".   In my case, blueberry pie wasn't a person, but it was something I held a grudge against.  I think you understand what I mean though.

I know it is tough.  We have that "fool me once shame on you, fool me twice....well, you just can't fool me no more" attitude, but don't completely shut something down before giving it a chance.  I am not saying repeat the same mistakes, but use good judgment and the spirit of discernment as your guide.  You never know, the thing from which you wish to turn away, may be the one way that God has chooses to bless you you.

Be blessed folks and have a good one.

Regards,

Antoine E. Hall

Blog:      http://toinebo.blogspot.com
Twitter:     http://www.twitter.com/AntoineHall

"It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect." - 2 Samuel 22:33

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